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How to Blog
What is a Blog? A blog is a web site where you write brief articles about your selected topic on a consistent basis. New articles appear at the top, so your visitors can easily read what's new. Some will comment on your articles or link to them or email you. Blog software makes it easy to frequently add new articles to your blog. Blogs publish information in different formats, including audio, photographs, cartoons, or even video. However, many are simply text pages. Your blog is whatever you want it to be and there are no formal rules about what you write about on your blog. Some blogs are personal diaries, while others are a daily pulpit. Still others can be collaborative spaces, political soapboxs, breaking-news outlets or a collection of links. Click here to see some examples of blogs. How is a blog different from a traditional Website? A blog is more interactive than a traditional website because it constantly updates information, may allow comments and is part of a larger blog community (sometimes called "Blogosphere" - where bloggers (people who have blogs) link and/or talk to each other. Should I consider starting my own blog? Anyone with access to an internet connection and something to say can blog. You should definitely consider starting your own blog if you want to communicate with others on a public platform, and the thought of engaging in a dynamic and ever-changing discourse excites you. The best part about blogging is that it is your blog, and it often is a reflection of your interests. So if you like music, your blog could be music based. If you are worried about the changing nature of politics in your country, your blog could write about it. Publishing a blog takes time and patience. If you don't have the time, energy or can't commit, don't get scared or put off. Stick to it for a while, and see how it works. It gets easier after a while once you're comfortable with the basics and feels less and less like work. By the time you've published your first five posts, it'll be a breeze. What makes a blog successful? * A Clear Message * An Obvious Need * A Clear Goal * A Strong Commitment * An Audience What are the different parts of a blog? Most blogs have these elements: 1. Posts: Each blog is broken into a series of posts or articles. Think of them as pages in a book. Each post has it own unique web address. 2. Title: Each post has a title. 3. Category: Some blogs include categories so that articles on similiar topics can be grouped together. Think of it like index in a book. 4. Comments: Most blogs have a form at the end the post where readers can write a comment or engage in a dialogue with you, as the author, about the post. 5. Lists of Links: Some blogs includes a list of links to other blogs on the right or left side of the page, sometimes organized in different categories. This is a called a "Blogroll." Typically these blogs have some connection in terms of the content. 6. Syndication: Many blogs have the ability to easily distribute their content. This makes it easy for readers to read new content without having to visit the blog to check for updates. 7. Trackback: A trackback is a way to notify a website when you publish any entry that references it. When you send it a trackback, a link with a short excerpt of your entry will appear on the referenced website. I'm ready to start my blog, what do I need to think about before set up the software? Here are some questions you need to think about: * What do I want to write about? * What topics will my blog cover? * Who am I writing for? * What should I name my blog? What if my country does not have a good environment for freedom of expression? Is there a safe way for me to blog my opinions? ' You should definitely read this post then. '''Is the stuff that I write or put up on my blog - mine? Isn't it possible that someone can copy it and claim it to be theirs? ' There are various ways of '''owning the material that you publish on your blog. One way is to set up a license, and depending on the kind of persmission you wish a user to seek - you can set up various filters in the license. See: Creative Commons. Where can I get myself a Blog? There are quite a few free services available for blogging. There are two services that fairly easy to use: blogger.com and wordpress.com. How do I set it up? Will think in terms of examples - and provide a running commentary to the screenshots.. Wordpress: How to set it your blog How to post Blogger How to set up your blog How to post What are some good resources for me to read after I master the basics? This post titledEverything you wanted to know about Blogging but were afraid to ask has a good list of guides and specific how-tos that you can look for online. A brief list here # Some basics of blogging explained at the Education section of the Guardian. Brief article followed by some links. Brief and easy to understand for beginners. # An excellent short article on How to set up and run your nonprofit's own digital soapbox at Techsoup. Topics covered: Starting a blog, naming it, turning comments on, personalizing, interacting with other blogs and archives. # Diego's Weblog has an excellent step-by-step guide to blogs in two parts. Part 1 includes basic on blogs, how to get one, blogging on a free platform, blogging on one's own server, comments, linking etc. Part 2 deals mostly with syndication. # How to build an audience for your blog. # A Blogging 101 in Q